Thursday, March 23, 2006

Corinne Bailey Rae -- The Popsurfing Review

I mentioned yesterday that the debut album of Corinne Bailey Rae was at Number One in the UK. I'd been eager to get the CD after hearing a clip online that sounded really promising and my friends at NYCD.com quickly obliged. But of course, in moving apartments I dropped the ball and failed to check it out. Now it's explosive success in the UK prompted me to give it a few whirls in the last two days and it's a sheer delight. A very mellow, Seventies vibe -- earthy and cool. Think of Rickie Lee Jones with soul, maybe. The singles "Put Your Records On" and "Like A Star" are winning but don't standout -- the entire album feels of a piece. She wrote or cowrote every track and sings and plays throughout. What I love is the casual air of it all -- unlike so many engineered pop albums, this doesn't sound like it's trying to conquer the world. Instead of bursting out at you, Rae invites you in. They have nothing in common, but Norah Jones and David Gray have a similar appeal to me. This is definitely going to be one of the year's winners. It comes out in the US in June. Don't hesitate.